Leon Marchand Wins World Male Swimmer of the Year

Leon Marchand is the World Male Swimmer of the Year for the third year in a row. He won the award after his impressive performances at the World Championships in Singapore.

What happened at the World Championships?

Leon Marchand added his third world titles in both the 200 and 400 individual medley. He broke the world record in the 200 IM with a time of 1:52.69.

How did he achieve this feat?

Marchand had narrowly missed the record in the Olympic final, coming in six hundredths behind Ryan Lochte's 2011 time. He focused on the medleys at the World Championships, opting out of the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke.

What were his thoughts on the record-breaking performance?

"I actually can’t really believe it right now," Marchand said after his record-breaking performance. He felt really good and his preparation had been pretty good, so he was excited to race. Marchand earned gold in the 200 IM event in 1:53.68, still much quicker than the previous world record. He also won gold in the 400 IM event with a time of 4:04.73, the fifth-fastest mark in history. Marchand was part of France's 400 medley relay team, which won a medal at the World Championships.

What's next for Leon Marchand?

At the U.S. Open in December, Marchand climbed the world rankings in two further events. He achieved a time of 1:52.57 in the 200 butterfly, the second-quickest mark of the year. Marchand also achieved a personal best of 3:44.70 in the 400 freestyle, putting him at No. 9 in the rankings. This performance opened up the possibility of a future run at the mid-distance race. Marchand made one appearance on the World Cup circuit in Carmel, Ind., picking up top-three finishes. He will likely return to his 200-meter stroke races.